Shadows on the Horizon
by biqua
Summary: Something is coming back from the darkness. A deadly force is returning, and with it comes war on a scale which hasn't been seen in millennia. The Empire and the Republic will have to band together to defeat what emerges from the shadows, because what hope would they have alone when not even death can stop this new enemy? (Forged Alliances/Shadows of Revan)
1. Shadow of Dreams I

AN: This fic about halfway spoils Shadow of Revan, and halfway completely deviates from and rewrites the plot. This fic itself is only planned to go through the Forged Alliances questline leading in to the main Shadow of Revan quests, but things from SoR might be mentioned. If you're still working your way through the questline and want to be surprised, you probably should bookmark this for later.

There are a lot of characters. Very few of them are canon. You have been warned. There's a quick reference sheet on my tumblr (liesbreathedthroughsilver) if you get completely lost.

General fic warnings: SWTOR/SoR spoilers, strong language

Chapter warnings: none.

* * *

It was the third night in a row that Iapyx had woken up sweating. One look at the chrono confirmed that it was way too early for her to be awake. She pushed her hair out of her eyes as she sat up. The voice still echoed in her head like a command, a compulsion… Bile rose to the back of her throat, an unpleasant taste she had been trained to ignore but disgusted her nevertheless. There was something almost familiar about the voice, which was unsurprising. It was her dream, so of course her brain would pull something familiar from her memories. What worried her was that the dream had made it past her filter unscathed. Even after bypassing REM sleep completely, the voice had given her the same message.

 _I am coming. Prepare for me. All will fall._

The nine words were grandiose even by her sister's standards, and Sith Lords were known for their melodramatic speeches. More than that, the message was a command. There was no choice or doubt. Iapyx was naturally suspicious of certainty, but even awake she felt truth in the words. It unsettled her. There were no certainties in Intelligence, fewer certainties in war, and even those had been destroyed by defection. She took nothing for granted, but she _knew_ someone was coming, and they would conquer.

Her heart whispered that she would prepare for their coming, but her head refused. She would not be so easily manipulated. This was a dream… right?

Iapyx's thoughts were interrupted by the door sliding open. She squashed her brief moment of alarm when she recognized her cousin.

"Yes, Eua?" The childhood nickname seemed appropriate in the darkness. Not for the first time, she wondered on what a strange childhood it must have been from the outside. Four children, raised by smugglers and bounty hunters, failed Sith and fallen Jedi, had grown up to become what their parents had struggled with or against—Republic Military, Imperial Intelligence, Jedi Knight, and Sith Lord. In all fairness, the second one should probably be struck from the list; whatever Iapyx was now, traitor or enlightened, she didn't work for Imperial Intelligence.

"You've been having the dreams too, haven't you?" Euruia asked.

"Yes. I take it they're not normal dreams, as we're probably getting the same message," Iapyx said, merely stating the obvious out loud. "What about the rest of the crew?" Iapyx slept by herself in the secondary barracks; Lieutenant Brash in particular had been adamant that he would not sleep in the same room as a former Imperial. And as Iapyx had rejected all of Andor's propositions thus far, she had the bunk off the medbay to herself, while Brash, Cey, and Andor shared the main barracks. Ruia shared Captain Emras's chambers, as she apparently had for the last year.

Ruia shook her head. "The captain hasn't," she said with certainty. "I mentioned it briefly to Cey, and he said none of the others have had strange dreams either."

Iapyx quickly considered the options. "Do you think they've been hearing it too?"

"Nia? I don't know," Euruia asked. "I haven't spoken with her in weeks."

"Why don't you contact her, and I'll check with Peli." A flash of distaste crossed Ruia's face at the mention of Iapyx's sister. "That way we can narrow this down to either locational or relational."

"I guess," she concurred. She sobered suddenly, and asked, "What… _Who_ do you think it is?"

The answer was not one Iapyx liked to admit. "I don't know. If it's not locational, if Nia and Peli are hearing this…"

"It must be an ancestor, right?" Ruia said, seeking confirmation. "That's how the Force does these things."

"Or perhaps a vision of the future," Iapyx suggested.

"I think it might be both," Ruia whispered. " _I am—_ "

"Don't!" Iapyx cut her off. "Saying the words… gives them power." A shiver ran down her spine. "Peli is almost certainly asleep. I'll contact her tomorrow, midday." Given the opportunity, Peli preferred to be unconscious for as much of the morning as she could manage. As a Sith Lord, that was quite a lot.

"I'll call Nia in the morning. The reasonable morning," she clarified with a forlorn look at the time. "Thanks for proving I'm not insane."

"Or that we both are," Iapyx countered as her cousin left. Ruia gave a final wave behind her head as the door slid shut, leaving Iapyx alone again. Unwilling to try sleep again, she pulled up a datapad and got to work.


	2. Shadow of the Past I

Warnings for this chapter: none.

* * *

"Captain, there's a call coming."

"This is the fifth time," Biqua complained. She continued talking as she answered the holocom, her aggravated rant on full throttle. "Theron, for the last time, you cannot pay me enough—Ravjanday?"

"Hey," he said, as cheerfully as she had ever heard him.

"Did Theron put you up to this?" Crossing her arms, Biqua took in the cyborg on the other end of the line. She hadn't heard from Badri in months, not since he had come back from Oricon. He didn't look any worse for wear, but Biqua knew more than anyone how deceiving looks could be.

He shrugged. "Not directly. He contacted me about the mission, and I told him I'd need the best damn pilot in the business if we were going to have a chance to get out of there."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Biqua told him.

Corso laughed under his breath. "Liar."

"There is no way you're getting me to fly you—or anyone else—to Korriban. Not a chance. That's final."

"C'mon, Bee," he teased. She ruffled at the nickname—he had the right to call her that, just as she used Ravjanday, but she had almost forgotten anyone still used it. "You've never been to Korriban. It's quite a trip, and the scenery isn't too bad. Once you get past all the Sith trying to kill you, of course. Everything is a compromise."

"Ugh." Biqua sighed. He knew exactly what he was doing, damn him. She couldn't even blame Theron for this one, because this was entirely Ravjanday. And he was the only one who could pull this on her. She hated guilt trips.

Ravjanday smiled. "Gav Daragon. Four hours. Get her ready to fly."

"She's always ready to fly," Biqua shot back, the offence in her voice only half joking. Ravjanday cut the hololink.

"You're not actually considering this, Captain. Are you?" Corso asked, his trepidation clear.

"Dammit," Biqua swore. "I am." She stormed to the controls, setting course for the main Republic fleet without looking.

"Why?"

She was silent as the hyperdrive powered on, blasting them into the next solar system, and the next. She was silent as they came out of the jump, staring unmoving out into space.

"Problems with your ex?" came Risha's voice from behind her.

"What?" she laughed. "Hell no. Stars," she broke off into laughter. "If anything, Ravjanday's like my—my brother."

Her voice broke. Risha and Corso exchanged wary glances. Biqua almost never spoke of her brother, but they both knew he had been dead for nearly seven years, killed in service to the Republic.

When she spoke again, it was quiet. Reserved, none of her usual boisterousness. "They both went. Ravjanday was on Blackbird Squad with Taroth when the team was sent to Korriban. They were best friends."

"Captain," Corso said uneasily, unsure of what to say next.

"Besides," Biqua continued. She turned back to her crew members with a smile that was almost convincing. "Just imagine how much the Republic's going to pay us for this! Not to mention the profit from any, ahem, scavenged Sith artifacts."

Risha considered her last point. "I do know a buyer who may be interested…"

"Not you too!" Corso groaned. "Oh, it's hopeless. You've already made up your mind, haven't you?"

Biqua flashed him a grin and a wink. "Flyboy, you better get your best blaster ready. I think Torchy's got a date with some Sith."


	3. Shadow of Dreams II

AN: A little late this week, and it's all set-up, so I apologize. Things start happening soon.

* * *

There was very little Anemoi family history to be found. Iapyx's mother and Ruia's mother were sisters, their family skirted the law for generations, their paternal great-great-great-grandfather was half-Sith, and that was where the meaningful records stopped. There were no records of her great-great-great-grandfather's parents, other than the racial note, and his wife had been a slave, so she too had no family records. Sith blood was news to Iapyx, but not terribly surprising; the Force ran strong in her family, even if most chose not to focus on it.

Her father had tried, of course, but he was unable to finish Sith training and had to flee Korriban. It was in that flight that he met her mother, a captain-for-hire who was more than happy to fly him out of the system. Ruia's father had also tried his Force talent, but found he was unable to stand the rules and regulations of the Jedi. Their fathers were unrelated, though, so if this… _message_ , whatever it was, called to them out of blood relations, it must have come from their mothers' side.

Iapyx had seen both her mother and her aunt use the Force on occasion, but she hadn't truly thought about it. In fact, she thought everyone had power to manipulate the Force until she was five years old. Her mother used it as naturally as breathing, and with as little mention. As far as Iapyx knew, her mother was more powerful than herself, or even Peli. That was an odd thought.

Peli, Iapyx's younger sister, had decided to become a Sith Lord on a whim, barely five years ago. Yet she had already achieved that. Rumours of her name had swirled around the death of Darth Baras, and although it was ultimately Darth Nox who was promoted to the Dark Council, Lord Akeldama, as she was styling herself, had powerful allies and powerful enemies.

Her cousin Nia had found her way to the Jedi, and was now a Knight in their service. Iapyx had spoken to her once since defecting, and she seemed to have found her place between the rules. Of her two cousins, Ruia was more tied to rules, but she had chosen the Republic and the military over the stifling regulations of the Jedi. When it came to the Force, her cousins were near evenly matched in raw power, but Nia's training gave her a clear advantage. Nia was a possible match for Peli, but it was hard to judge without seeing what Jedi training had done for her firsthand.

Iapyx herself had discovered her talent by accident. Peli was to thank for that. Her younger sister enjoyed learning the few Sith talents their father could teach, and tested them on whatever was within reach. This inevitably led to Peli trying her skills on her older sister... only to find she wasn't the only gifted child in the house. Iapyx could barely make a spark under her own power, but she could siphon and redirect any power aimed at her. It had thrown more than one Dark Lord off balance during her tenure at Imperial Intelligence. There was something immensely satisfying about letting their most prized talents wash over her, lightning doing no more harm than waves.

She had hidden it, of course, during her time with Intelligence. Unlike her sister, Iapyx had no desire to join the Sith, and unlike her cousin, she had no desire to join the Jedi. Truthfully, she still hadn't found her place. Blackbirds felt more _right_ to her than anything that had come before, but she still couldn't call herself a member of the Republic Military without a sour taste in her mouth. Her distaste wasn't fading with time, either, which meant she would only last so long here before moving on yet again. She was running out of places to go—when one has been a smuggler, a bounty hunter, an imperial and a republican, what else did that leave?

The morning alarm in her implant went off, reminding her that the rest of the world still existed. She was here, with the Republic—no, with _Blackbirds_ —for now. Captain Emras might still distrust her, Lieutenant Brash may still hate her, and Specialist Andor might still be trying to sleep with her, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.


	4. Shadow of Dreams III

AN: Now only a chapter behind! Should put chapter five up next week, and then this fic'll be down to regular monthly updates. Which is fine, because there's still thirty-some things sitting in my doc manager to be posted.

Strong language in this chapter.

* * *

"Hey sis, what's up? It's rather early, isn't it?"

Euruia Argestes was sitting cross-legged on the conference table, using her own small holo to call her sister. The crew was mostly asleep, so the central room was somewhat ironically the most private place on the ship. With Tameva in the captain's quarters, Brash, Cey, and Andor in the main bunks, and Iapyx probably still awake in the medbay, that left the supply room, which barely had room to stand, or the conference room. Still, Ruia wasn't sure how to start the conversation. "You're up early as well," she pointed out.

Nia seemed to be doing her hair on the other end of the call. "Well, we're actually about to head off for a mission," she explained. "There was a bit of trouble finding a pilot, but Theron says he finally got one."

The name wasn't familiar to Ruia, but she wasn't going to push her sister for unnecessary classified information. "Good thing I caught you," she said.

Nia put down her hairbrush, giving Ruia her full attention. "Euruia. What is it? Go ahead and just spit it out."

"Have you been having… strange dreams?" she asked.

Nia froze. "You've been hearing it too. That voice."

"Iapyx too," Ruia said. "She's going to call her sister."

Nia took the holo and took it with her, seemingly moving to a different room and closing the door. She sat down before speaking again, and it was in a somewhat hushed tone. "So, you've both been hearing it?"

"The same message, every time we sleep," Ruia confirmed.

Nia was silent for longer than was comfortable, but Ruia knew her sister.

"Hell," she swore quietly. "How often do you hear it?"

Looking away, Nia whispered, "Pretty often… it's not constant, but, well…"

"Fuck."

"And it's not just the same message," she continued. "It's like she's… talking directly to me. Trying to… I don't know. I don't know what she's trying to do."

"Are you alright?" Ruia asked, her concern clear.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Nia said, shaking her head as if to clear it. "I can tune it out now. It's just… I wish I knew who it was." She was clearly aggravated.

"So do I," Ruia agreed.

"It's probably an ancestor, but—" Nia stopped as someone called her name from another room. If Ruia made out the voice correctly, it was Kira. Her sister looked up at the clock. "Shoot. I have to go—I'll tell you if I find anything out. You'll be the first to know, I promise."

"Same," Ruia said. "Best wishes on the op."

"Love you," Nia said with an apologetic smile, and cut the connection.

Ruia set down the holo. She couldn't tell if her sister had been lying about how much the voices bothered her, but it was clear that it was a bigger deal for her than either Ruia or Iapyx. Maybe it had something to do with her Jedi training? She was more in tune with the Force than either of them, so it was a possibility. In that case, she could expect Peli to hear the voice more often as well. The other option, if Nia was singled out… Ruia didn't want to think about it. It was her job to protect her little sister, and damned if she wouldn't find a way, but she had no idea where to start.

Who _was_ it? Why where they hearing it? Why now? The only thing that seemed clear was that it was family-related, something buried back in their family line. But what secret lineage did a couple of scoundrels have? Ruia's head was spinning. Question upon question upon question, with no end in sight.

She sighed, holding her head in her hands. Maybe in the morning, Iapyx would have figured something out.


	5. Shadow of Attack I

AN: And this fic is now caught up to other posting sites, so it will be moving to its regular once a month (on the third Sunday) updates! And we're finally checking in on the Imperial side, too.

* * *

Cipher Nine was never flustered. She was much too trained for that. She knew how to keep her emotions under lock and key, hidden away from view by everyone, and replace them with whatever they wanted to see. Joy, rage, pain, ignorance, love… it wasn't hard, not for her. Cipher Nine did not lose her composure.

However, sometimes, Cipher Nine was surprised.

"I'm sorry, you're planning an attack on _where?_ "

"Tython," the Sith Lord, Lana Beniko repeated.

"You want to plan an attack on the Jedi homeworld?" Kaliyo asked. "Are you out of your frakking minds?"

Darth Arkous gave her a withering look, but Kaliyo was unamused. He continued with his briefing. "It's true that reliable leads have been lacking since Imperial Intelligence was effectively dismantled. However, a source I personally trust has alerted me to a hole in Tython's planetary defenses. If we act fast and strike hard, it will absolutely ruin the Republic's morale. Annihilate it."

"That's all well and good, but we'll need more than information," Cipher Nine said skeptically. "Assuming we get that far, what is your plan for the Temple?"

"While you concern yourself with the assault, Lord Goh will be tasked with keeping the Temple secured. So long as we have control, we'll explore the artifacts and histories stored inside. Imagine all we can learn about the Jedi and the Force," Lana said, excitement slipping into her voice.

"One Sith cannot hold against the entire Jedi Temple," the Cipher said wearily. If she thought Sith had been full of themselves before, it had only gotten worse after Intelligence had been disbanded. Now every Lord believed they knew how to plan a delicate operation.

"Rest assured, there will be more than one Sith," Lana said. Cipher Nine caught a hint of amusement in her voice. Interesting.

Darth Arkous took over once again. "I've assembled quite a team of operatives. The Empire's finest will be backing you up on the surface and from the air. In addition, Lord Akeldama will be joining you on the strike team."

Akeldama… that name was familiar to the Cipher. A fairly new Sith Lord, or at least only recently risen to prominence. There had been rumours that she was involved in the death of Lord Baras, and indeed her name had come up in replacing what had once been his council seat. However, she had ultimately been passed over for Darth Nox, and the naming of Lord Imperius as the new Emperor's Wrath had caused more ripples in Sith politics than any mere assassination could. Akeldama was a wild card, one the Cipher was interested in collecting more information about.

Kaliyo harrumphed. "This is pushing it, even for me. But what's life without a little risk, eh, Agent?"

Cipher Nine closed her eyes, suppressing the urge to sigh. "Indeed. I assume you have a shuttle prepared?"

"Yes," Lana said. "By the time you reach Tython, our first wave will have established a foothold on the surface. I'll remain in constant contact throughout the offensive."

"Succeed in this, and together we will have signaled the beginning of the Republic's most humiliating end. Glory for the Empire!" Darth Arkous proclaimed, signaling the end of the conversation. Cipher Nine indicated for Kaliyo to follow her outside.

"Bit sure of himself, huh?" Kaliyo said as they left earshot.

The Cipher waited to speak until she was sure there was no one around to overhear. "This plan lacks basic contingencies. There are too many variables Arkous hasn't accounted for."

"I wasn't impressed with his plan," Kaliyo agreed. "Seems like he's placing too much trust in his Force or whatever."

"No one has ever accused Arkous of modesty," said Cipher Nine. "Or lauded him as a strategic genius. Beniko has a much more sensible mind."

"Why isn't she the one in charge? No, wait, let me guess," Kaliyo said, forestalling a detailed explanation from the Cipher. "Sith politics again. Someday they're going to all end up with a lightsaber in their backs, and only half will see it coming."

"How do you think the Dark Council lost two members within weeks of each other?" the Cipher asked rhetorically.

"At least I won't have to listen to his voice in my ear every thirty seconds," Kaliyo grumbled. "Beniko sounds like a killjoy, but at least she might have a brain between her ears."

Cipher Nine smiled. "You may find she's not as stiff as she appears."

"Agent, I've worked with you for three years now," Kaliyo said. "Sometimes you're so stiff I'm almost convinced you're an actual stick."

The Cipher decided that was a comment best left untouched, for the sake of both her professional and personal partnership with Kaliyo. "Shall we go on to the staging bay, then? I look forward to meeting the rumoured Lord Akeldama in person."

Kaliyo laughed. "Some of the things I've heard about her! At least it sounds like there'll be someone with a sense of humor on this mission. That girl knows how to have fun."

"Just what I wanted," Cipher Nine replied, her deadpan sarcasm a match for Kaliyo's own humor. "More fun aboard my ship."


	6. Shadow of Dreams IV

"Whoa, sis. You're up early."

At that, Iapyx actually laughed. "You're one to talk," she told her sister. "I was expecting to leave a message."

Peli laughed as well. It was chipper, the kind of laugh the Sith weren't really known for. Then again, Apeliotes Thuellai wasn't an average Sith, not by any means. "I've got to get a bright and early start. I'm going out to have some fun today, you know."

A mission, then. Peli was many things, sometimes even discrete, but she had never been able to hide things from her sister, and frankly, had stopped giving more than a cursory attempt. Iapyx smiled. "Word travels fast, even on this side of things. I hear you've made some new friends."

"Who knows?" Peli shrugged cheerfully. "I'm prepared to be friends until they try to stab me in the back. Easier on everyone that way. How's the stodgy old Republic treating you?"

"Better than the Empire," Iapyx admitted. "But we both know I'm as loyal to the Republic as you are to the Empire."

Peli laughed. "Isn't that the truth! Well, you ever need a Sith to back you up, just holler. Actually, why did you bother calling?"

"A question," Iapyx said. "Have you been hearing anything… strange, recently?"

"You mean, you've been having those weird-ass dream messages too," Peli said, her eyes narrowing.

Iapyx nodded. "Ruia as well. She tells me Nia has been hearing more than just the one message, and more than when she's asleep. Have you?"

Peli shook her head. "No. Same dream, same message. Nothing when I'm awake. That's really weird."

"So you have no idea why Nia is hearing more? Could it be the Jedi training?" Iapyx suggested.

"Her Jedi training was mostly martial, right?" Peli asked. "If she had been doing the Force meditation shit, then I would have suggested that. But she's never been the visions type. Hell, if you had made me guess, I would have said you were the one hearing more. You've always been a lot less practical than Nia or me."

"Thank you so much," Iapyx said dryly.

"Oh, you know what I mean," Peli amended, reversing her insult in the way only a younger sister could. "Nia and I do things like move stuff and shock people and Ruia's the same way, when she bothers. You have your weird powers that are almost all internal. I still don't really understand what you do. _Don't_ try to explain it again," she added, forestalling the explanation Iapyx was about to give. "I've given up trying. So no, I have no idea why Nia's hearing more. Do you have any idea who it is?"

"Well, it's likely an ancestor of ours—"

"No shit," Peli interrupted. "I had figured that much out."

"—But," Iapyx continued as if her sister had not spoken, "I haven't been able to come up with a likely candidate. The records all but stop a few generations back. Did you know we have Sith blood?" she asked.

"Really?" Peli asked, clearly surprised.

"According to what I could find, yes. One of our great-great-great-grandfathers was half Sith, according to records. I don't know how reliable they are, but it would explain why the Force is so strong in our family, even after years of dilution."

"Sith blood! Ha!" Peli laughed. "I'll be sure to pull that one out the next time one of the blasted Purebloods tries to pull the 'you shouldn't be here' crap."

"Peli, I'm not sure that's what you want to be advertising," Iapyx cautioned.

"It's exactly what I want to be advertising!" Peli replied. "With some Sith, blood is everything. Did you get a name or anything? Any bloodline?"

"No bloodline," Iapyx said, "No family name. The records just… stopped. I'm almost positive the ancestor is from that bloodline. All the others eventually trail off into more hunters, a few smugglers, but no indication of Force-sensitivity. Certainly nothing of the strength to produce a haunting decades after death."

"Darn,"said Peli. "A bloodline would have been a fun comeback. Ah well, we work with what we're given," she sighed.

"Have you been listening to me?" Iapyx asked, somewhat irritated.

"Of course! Sith ancestor, probably Force sensitive, strong haunting, blah blah blah," she waved a hand. "Let me know if you find out anything more. Can you imagine if we were related to, like, Naga Sadow or something? That would be wild."

Iapyx sighed. "I'll keep you informed. Let me know if you learn anything."

"'Course. Have fun! Oh, and you might want to enjoy your relaxing while it lasts."

"I see," Iapyx said. She smiled. _So, Peli's 'fun' involves the Republic, does it?_ "Thanks."

She cut the holo as Peli reached to do the same. That, at least, was useful information. She weighed the idea of telling Captain Emras, but what was there to tell? She could give a general warning, but there was nothing specific to say. Rumours, that was it. Rumours that the Imperials were planning an attack.

 _Thank you, sis. I might yet be able to get into the team's good graces._


	7. Shadow of the Past II

Of the seven other people in the room, Biqua recognized three.

One, of course, was Ravjanday. That is, Major Badri Emras, commander of Havoc Squad, etcetera, etcetera. Whatever. As far as Biqua was concerned, the cyborg was the closest thing to family she had outside of her crew.

Standing next to him was Theron Shan, the thorn in her side who had been pestering her about this mission for days. He was SIS, painfully so, and Biqua was pretty damn sure Satele was his mother. Judging by his reaction to the question, the relationship was strained, but he was on better terms with her than Biqua was with her own mother. That was saying very little, as it only required having spoken once in the past six years.

Around the other side of the holotable was a red-haired girl Biqua just recognized. She is, or was, Nahin's padawan. Biqua wasn't sure if there was a Jedi graduation ceremony or something, or if you were always someone's padawan, but she thought she remembered that the girl was a full-fledged Knight now. What was her name? Kara?

The two next to her also appeared to be Jedi, a brown-haired girl and a red-haired boy, but Biqua didn't recognize them. Nor did she recognize the other soldier in the room, although it looked like he outranked Ravjanday.

It was the last person in the room who gave her pause. His hood was down, covering most of his face, but there was no denying—he was Sith, if not Pureblood than at least most of the way there. What was a Sith doing in a Republic briefing?

"Blue squadron approaches Korriban at maximum speed," the ranking soldier was explaining as Biqua walked in. The holotable projected the battle for him to gesture at.. "Bombing commences on signal aurek. Wave one shuttle follows and secures the LZ…"

"And then wave two comes in," Theron finished, also pointing at the holo as if no one else could figure it out. "Perfect timing."

"So this is really happening," Biqua said, still somewhat in disbelief. "You're actually planning an attack on Korriban."

"Yes," Ravjanday said.

"And your part in the plan is critical," added the other soldier.

"This is Colonel Darok—he's in charge of the op. And this is Major Emras—he'll be leading the attack from the ground," Theron introduced. He turned to the three Jedi and said, "I'm Theron Shan, SIS. We spoke on the holo."

"Any relation to the Jedi Grandmaster, Satele Shan?" Nahin's padawan asked.

"This is why I keep asking for a codename," Theron complained.

"We aren't here to discuss genealogy," Darok snapped. "Time is critical."

"Apologies," the male Jedi said. "I'm Master Miatt DeLavat of the Jedi Order. These two are both Knights, Favonia Argestes and Kira Carsen."

 _Kira, that was it,_ Biqua thought. Kira didn't look particularly pleased to be spoken for, but she didn't add anything more.

Biqua raised a hand in a lazy salute. "Captain Biqua," she said, leaving her introduction brief. She had no idea how much Theron knew about her, but the Jedi certainly didn't need any information.

Theron was the one who began the briefing proper. "Our objective is to raid the Sith Academy. Specifically, the databanks held inside the Dark Council chambers on the Academy's upper level. The information in these databanks could win the war. Once the first attack wave clears a landing zone, the Captain will get the ground team as close to the Academy as possible. It will then be your job to go in and get the information."

"How will we find this data?" Ravjanday asked.

"That's where I come in."

The shadowy figure in the corner had spoken—Biqua had forgotten he was there. The Sith took two steps forward, into the light, but did not lower his hood. "Forgive the lurking—I'm trying to keep a low profile, which is difficult for someone of my… appearance aboard a Republic vessel. You may call me Jonacen."

Ravjanday's eyes visibly narrowed. However, it was Miatt who continued for the Sith.

"Jonacen has been working with us for several months now. He knows where the data is stored."

"And is his information reliable?" Ravjanday questioned.

"About the patrols or guards, no," Jonacen said. "It's been too long since I left, and anything could have changed on a whim. But databanks are not so easily moved, especially when one stands on ceremony as much as the Sith do. The library will be in the same location, as will the Dark Council databanks, and I assure you that I will be able to retrieve them."

"I do not trust easily," Miatt said, looking directly at Ravjanday to answer his real question. "There are few I trust completely. But in this, I trust Jonacen. He will not hand us over to the Empire."

Jonacen smiled at that. Or maybe it was more of a grimace—it was hard to tell on a Sith. "Not unless I want to see myself skinned as well. Regardless of what you have done to the Empire, I assure you, my crimes against them are far worse."

"That's not exactly comforting," Ravjanday said.

"Hey, we've all got rep sheets here," Biqua interjected. "Well, maybe not the Jedi, but who am I to judge?" Interestingly, Favonia was the only Jedi who didn't seem uneasy. It was a challenging confidence, though, not the confidence of the innocent. Biqua could spot the difference from twenty meters away.

"And once we have the data?" Favonia asked. Possibly covering before more questions were asked. Not that Biqua gave a damn if her Jedi had 'interesting' pasts—hell, if anything, she preferred her Jedi with a bit of history. Kept them from being too stiff and boring. "What then?"

"You will exfiltrate immediately and rendezvous back here. My associate, Commander Jensyn, will remain behind to collect secondary objectives as time allows," said Darok.

"Have the empire's forces really become so weak that we can charge straight in like this?" Kira asked.

"Not exactly," answered Theron. "We'll be exploiting a brief gap in their patrols, which is why we have to move immediately. You don't need us to tell you how tough this is going to be," he added, with a pointed look at Ravjanday. Ravjanday in turn looked at Biqua, giving her a brief smile. She rolled her eyes back at him—yes, yes, she knew he had been to Korriban before. That was the only reason she agreed to this—this whatever this was. Theron continued, "The Sith Academy is one of the most secure locations in the entire galaxy. But if we succeed… we could learn more about the Empire's moves than every sis operation from the past decade combined."

Darok picked up the inspirational speech, much to Biqua's dismay. "Our forces are ready. Victory for the Republic depends on you."

"'Dependable' is my middle name," Biqua quipped. She could have sworn she heard Ravjanday groan, but it was worth it. If anyone had continued to try to rally her up, she would have screamed. Or left.

"I expect only the best," Darok said. Biqua was pretty sure there had to be some sarcasm in there, but if there was, Darok was good at hiding it.

"Alright, team," Ravjanday said. "You know the mission. Let's move out."


	8. Shadow of Attack II

Cipher Nine's first thought upon seeing Lord Akeldama was: _Oh no, she's one of_ those _Sith_. Her hair certainly seemed to indicate it—a bright pink, in two bouncing pigtails. Her armor was thin and skin-tight, but it at least looked well-made. There was no hint of cybernetics, which was somewhat rare among ranking Sith, especially humans. But there was no way to tell for sure, as she could be using implants which were unseen or mostly undetectable. The Cipher herself had no visible cybernetics, but her memory and language augs weren't to be discounted.

Still, there were, in a broad sense, three kinds of Sith. There were the ones who truly believed in the Empire, who performed their duties with an almost solemn attitude. There were the ones who were filled completely with anger, almost overflowing with it. Darth Nox immediately came to mind there. Then there were the ones who enjoyed their job altogether too much, taking glee in the pain of others. Those were the ones who worried the Cipher most, as they were often the least predictable. They were also the ones who tended to have wildly colored clothes, makeup, or in this case, hair. The Cipher knew that there was always a chance that the first appearance was deceiving, but from what she had heard about Lord Akeldama, it didn't seem particularly likely.

"Oh, are you both Ciphers? I thought there was only going to be one."

Akeldama spoke first, grinning at both of them. Cipher Nine gave a carefully neutral smile back and said, "Lord Akeldama, I presume. Your information was correct; there is only one Cipher. I am Cipher Nine. Kaliyo is an associate of mine."

"Gotcha," Akeldama said. It was not a phrase Cipher Nine had ever expected to hear come out of a Sith Lord's mouth. "You two excited? It's my first time to Tython, after all, and I imagine it's your first as well."

"It wasn't exactly high on my list of vaction spots," Kaliyo said. Cipher Nine held back her internal wince with a practiced ease, but Akeldama laughed.

"I think we're gonna get along. Kaliyo, was it?" she asked, not bothering to wait for a response. "Glad to see I won't be cooped up with a Cipher for the whole trip. You know how they can be—all business, no fun."

Kaliyo grinned, gleefully taking the chance to rag on her boss with permission from above. "You don't know the half of it. Try living with one for a couple months, see how you feel."

"Oh, I have," Akeldama agreed. "Left me wanting to blow holes in the airlock a couple of times just to get some excitement. But I'm sure our poor Cipher Nine would take offense to that," she added, looking straight at the agent in question.

The Cipher smiled again, putting on a mask of pleasantries and calm, but took no lengths to hide the seams. Internally, she wasn't truly offended, but it was easiest to look as though she was, and was hiding it out of courtesy and respect for her superior. If anything, it would win her points. Only if Akeldama noticed, of course, but the Cipher suspected that she would. "Shall we get going? There's still quite a ways to Tython, and we wouldn't want to miss our opening."

"Right, right," Akeldama said. She turned to enter the ship, cape sweeping behind her in a dramatic—and clearly intentional—fashion.

Cipher Nine noticed how she had shut down the conversation after admitting to living with a Cipher. That had been news to the agent, as she had not even heard of Akeldama until these past few months. Worth investigating at some point, but it might be no more than a criminal past. More than a handful of Sith came up through what one might call 'questionable' backgrounds, although they would never admit it.

Kaliyo turned to the agent and smiled. "She's something, isn't she? Can't decide whether I like her or want to shove her out of an airlock myself."

"You'll have the whole trip to decide," the Cipher said. "Although I would prefer if you would wait until we were planetside to stage something. I would hate to have to turn you in for the murder of a Sith Lord."

"No you wouldn't," Kaliyo replied.

Cipher Nine cocked an amused eyebrow. "Wouldn't turn you in, or wouldn't hate to do it?"

"Both."

"Fair," the Cipher conceded. She gestured for Kaliyo to enter the ship first, and then followed.

"You two not know how to work stairs?" Akeldama asked as they came in.

"Pre-flight inspection of the spacecraft," the Cipher lied without a second thought. It was the kind of simple lie she could make herself believe with very little effort.

"Are you used to getting shoddy craft? Because that doesn't fly with a Lord, you know," Akeldama said.

"I've known scores of agents and more than one Sith who was assassinated with a sabotaged flight. I would prefer not to join their ranks." Kaliyo gave her a look at that, clearly realizing that while it was cover to back a lie, it was also completely true. The Cipher gave her a reassuring smile and said to the cabin at large, "Our vessel appears to be fine."

"Glad to hear it," Akeldama said. "Yo, pilot! We're all aboard, so let's kick this thing off!"

"Yes, my lord," the pilot said. He looked to be an ensign, although the Cipher couldn't see the pips on his uniform to confirm, but was clearly Navy, and appeared to have experience. He handled the controls with ease, and didn't flinch at the… peculiarities of a Sith Lord, even one as excitable as Akeldama.

Cipher Nine had been in one vessel when the pilot had accidentally angered his Sith passenger, and the Sith had been somewhat over-eager in dishing out punishment. Quite frankly, the Sith would have sealed her own death as well if the Cipher had not been aboard, as landing a shuttle on Makeb was by no means an easy feat, made even worse by the sudden death of the pilot twenty meters into the descent. The Cipher had only barely managed to keep them alive. For all that Akeldama was atypical and a potential irritation, at least the Cipher wasn't stuck on another mission with Lord—no, Darth now—Nox.

Cipher Nine was nearly positive that she was sent to back Nox up on so many missions because she had been the only agent in Intelligence who could be in a room with the notoriously ill-tempered Sith for more than an hour and not offend her in some way. Before Intelligence had been dismantled, the Cipher had been the then-Lord's backup so many times that she had seriously considered putting in a formal request to not be placed on missions involving Nox. However, she knew things could always be worse, and Nox seemed to at least tolerate her, which was more than she could say about almost all the people she had seen the Darth interact with. Admittedly, after Makeb, the Cipher almost had a fondness for the perpetually angry Sith, in the same way she had a fondness for the stitches that didn't quite line up in her jacket sleeve. They were not optimal, but they did the job, and in their own way, they were a point of interest. Imperfection, much like Darth Nox, could be tolerated in small doses.

That, however, was irrelevant to the job at hand. Darth Nox had not been sent on this mission; it was Lord Akeldama. Another interesting choice, to be sure. Akeldama was a flare in Sith politics right now: She appeared to hold immense attention, from what the Cipher had been able to gleam, but she was also in danger of burning out quickly. Cipher Nine had wondered if this was intended to be a suicide mission, placed by a rival to get Akeldama out of the way, but Arkous had no known connections to Akeldama, and there were no other Darths attached to the mission. Or to Arkous himself, who tended towards solitary workings. So she was likely chosen on merit, because Arkous liked her.

Still, there was something… interesting, about Akeldama. Everything about her screamed 'untraditional,' and it was more than just her hair. Her accent wasn't full-on Imperial, either, but drifted in and out, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. She clearly had a Past, one that had at one point involved her living with a Cipher agent for an unknown time and unknown reason. Cipher Nine looked forward to watching her fight.


	9. Shadow of the Past III

The smuggler's ship was crowded, more crowded than she had seen in years, even with most of her crew running a side job. It was just Biqua and Corso holding down the fort—Risha was doing something or other with the Dubrillion nobility, and Biqua had insisted she take a bodyguard. With Bowdaar and Guss running a scam on Nar Shaddaa, taking down yet another slave ring, that left Akaavi to watch Risha's back. And so, it was just Biqua running the ship, while Corso was giving the newcomers a set of increasingly suspicious looks. It was all Biqua could do to keep from laughing. The passengers didn't seem to notice, though, and were busy chatting among themselves.

"How is Nahin doing?" Kira asked quietly.

"Better," Ravjanday said. "She's still recovering, but..." He trailed off. "And I think her training goes better when I'm not around."

"She's a good teacher," Kira agreed. "Is Haylar doing well?"

"As far as I know," Ravjanday said. "I'm certainly not the best judge. But she hasn't left yet, and teaching gives Nahin something to do."

"She does need to be kept busy," the other Jedi Knight laughed. Biqua had already forgotten her name.

"Argestes," Ravjanday mused. Biqua made a mental note of the name, privately thanking Ravjanday. "Any relation to Ensign Euruia Argestes?"

"My sister," said the Jedi in question. "Then, do you have any relation to Captain Tameva Emras?"

Biqua silently shook her head. Why so many people had taken her name, she still wasn't sure—okay, that wasn't entirely true. She knew it was because of her brother, and that was as good a reason as any. But it still amused her that there were so many high-profile people now who had taken the Emras name, while she barely acknowledged her right to it by blood. Hell, if it wasn't for her brother, she might have dropped it entirely. Admittedly, Tameva would probably have taken it formally by now, had Taroth lived to marry her. But for these people, for Ravjanday and the others who had adopted it the name, there was none of the painful baggage of the Alderaanian legacy, of endless blood feuds and political wars—bullshit, all of it. If these people were the legacy the Emras name left in the future, it would be a damn sight better than anything her ancestors ever did.

Ravjanday laughed. "No, not by blood. We're just old friends."

Biqua's brain finally processed the conversation, recognizing what the question meant. "Hang on," she said, turning her console monitor around so she could see the main room of the ship. "Is your sister the girl Meva's banging?"

She saw the Jedi's face flush completely, saying nothing. Probably a yes. Ravjanday, on the other hand, simply groaned.

"Don't tell me Lithium rubbed off on you," he said.

Biqua laughed. "If anything, I rubbed off on her," she said, remembering her former crewmember, now back in the Republic Military. Lithium was the one who convinced Biqua to take the Privateer commission with the Republic, and all in all, it had been a good gig.

"I'm pretty sure that's impossible, Bee," Ravjanday replied.

"That's right, weren't you two—"

"We should be getting close, right?" Ravjanday interrupted suddenly, almost desperately.

"Alright, maybe she did rub off on me a little," Biqua admitted with an apologetic chuckle. "We're a couple minutes out, folks. Assuming we're not shot out of the sky. We're not going to be shot out of the sky, right, Corso?" she called.

"Not unless you broke the sensors when I wasn't looking," Corso responded. "You should be ready for a landing-site approach in two minutes."

"We're taking the whole ship down?" the Jedi Master—Miatt—asked.

"You doubt her? My girl's landed in worse places, with more people shooting at her. Fewer lightsabers, sure," Biqua admitted, "but I'm good at improvising."

"That's not the most reassuring thing I've heard," Kira said.

"You might want to, uh, hold on," Biqua amended, watching the sensors more closely. "The opening in the shields is a bit smaller than I expected."

"How much smaller?" Badri asked urgently.

"Not making me feel better," Kira added.

Biqua made a vague, non-committal noise. "Not too small. I've got this. We just might clip the edge going down."

"You might want to strap in," Corso told the passengers. "'I've got this' is captain-speak for 'we're going down in flames.'"

"Hey!" Biqua protested. "No flames! Yet."

"Let's keep it that way, please?" Ravjanday said.

For once, Biqua was concentrating so intently that she didn't even laugh. Everything in her mind was now her ship, the one thing she had that was wholly her own. She had rebuilt it from a worn-out shell, rebuilding and replacing almost every part before she could fly again. And Biqua had built her strong. There was no way one lousy descent would get the best of her, and Biqua was determined to prove it.

The landing was rougher than Biqua would have liked, but it could have been immeasurably worse. By the time the dust settled on the unfamiliar Sith world, she had already regained her footing and stood up to proclaim her triumph to the visiting passengers.

"Welcome to Korriban!" she said, grinning from ear to ear. She would have put fifty credits down on Ravjanday rolling his eyes—it was a pretty safe bet by now. "Thank you for riding with us today. The return trip will be in two hours, and you really don't want to miss that flight."

Master Miatt nodded grimly, exchanging a look with Jonacen. The Sith nodded in return. They would be back, one way or another.

"Alright, team, move out," Ravjanday commanded, standing up himself. Biqua blinked, momentarily confused—she had honestly forgotten that the cyborg was in command of this mission. Stars, but sometimes it was still difficult to see him as anything more than that skeptical private she had first met all those years ago.

 _They do get older,_ she thought, followed by, _Stars, I sound like an old lady!_

By the time she came back out of her rare moment of introspection, the last of the team was filing out of the door. "Corso, you've got the ship," Biqua said, moving to follow them. "Keep her ready to go at a moment's notice."

"I'm coming with you," Corso insisted.

"Of course you're not," Biqua replied, turning back to face him. "I'm not going anywhere. Just going to take a quick look outside. I'll be back in the ship in under two minutes, or I owe you twenty credits."

Corso huffed, but he knew a losing battle when he heard one. "If you're not back in one, I'm coming out there."

Biqua laughed. "You just want to say you've been on Korriban, right? Well, we're here now, might as well."

"That's wasn't what I meant," Corso muttered, but he followed her out anyway. He knew when to take the small payout instead of waiting for one which might not come.

Korriban wasn't as red as Biqua expected. It was shades of orange and brown dust, a desert of death. With some disgust, she would admit that she would rather be on Alderaan than on this living hell. Alderaan she could navigate, but she was lost on this world. She felt inexplicably sick to her stomach, and wondered vaguely if this was the so-called "Dark Side" that Nahin and her Jedi friends were always going on about.

Maybe that was what was causing all this damn introspection too. It was starting to give her a headache, or, at least, something was starting to give her a headache. "Dust, dust, and more dust," she remarked. "That's enough for me. You good, farmboy?"

Corso laughed. "I've got a better view inside, Captain, and I don't mean of the scenery."

"Two hours all to ourselves, huh?" Biqua said, the thought finally cheering her up. That would surely put a stop to all this ridiculous _thinking._ "Whatever will we do?"

"Oh, I've got a couple of ideas," said Corso. He gestured for her to go into the ship first, and Biqua gave a little play bow in acknowledgement.

"I'm all ears," she said as the door slid shut behind him. Even this crummy planet didn't seem so bad when she had two hours alone with her two favorite things in the universe—her husband and her ship.


	10. Shadow of Attack III

AN: In which I skim over battle scenes because I'm not a huge fan of writing them, and it's my fic so I can do what I want.

* * *

Watching the young Lord fight was indeed proving to be informative. Despite the boasting of Arkous, the small strike team had been attacked within minutes of landing on Tython. It was really no big deal, of course, as the Cipher, the anarchist, and the Sith had been able to dispatch their opponents with ease. Kaliyo had outright laughed at the Padawans who had attacked them first. Kaliyo had charged in with her rifle, while Cipher Nine stayed back with her sniper rifle, which had the additional benefit of allowing her to observe the Sith.

Akeldama's lightsaber was… unique. Cipher Nine had never seen one quite like it. The blade wasn't traditional red, nor was it the extremely faded, almost pink, of Nox's lightsaber. Akeldama's was somewhere between the two, dark enough to be a clear color not caused by imperfections in the crystal, but lighter than a full red. The blade was much thinner than normal as well, tuned to at least half the diameter of the standard saber.

The way she fought with them was also unusual. With the first fights, Akeldama had only drawn one of the two sabers she had fastened to her waist. She used her offhand purely for Force attacks, throwing the occasional lightning and pushing multiple opponents out of range. It wasn't until she was nearly blindsided that the Sith drew her second lightsaber. It was shorter than her other saber—a shoto, if the Cipher was applying the term correctly—and she used it more as a vibroknife than a second saber. Instead of coordinating attacks between her two hands, as was the norm in Sith training with multiple weapons, she primarily used the shoto for defense. It was the tactic of a street fighter, not a Sith.

The more the Cipher saw, the more convinced she became that Akeldama's background was highly untraditional. If anything, Akeldama fought more like Kaliyo than Nox. Her attitude was certainly the same—she lept through the battlefield with exhilaration, although she didn't seem to have the same zest for bloodshed that Kaliyo did. Akeldama's kills were clean and swift, and she even passed on the killing blow when she thought she could get away with it. More often than not, Cipher Nine took the shot herself, but Akeldama didn't seem to notice. There was one Padawan the Sith left on the ground, incapacitated but alive, until the Cipher took her shot. Akeldama had given her a look that was nearly on par with Nox. Curious.

Akeldama's interactions with Beniko were almost as curious. Beniko was the model of business and discretion, her communiques brief and to the point. Akeldama, on the other hand, was not so restrained.

"We can't make it to the Temple until you do away with the shielding that's keeping our forces confined to the area," Beniko told them. "Look for the Republic command platform. That's where you'll find the shield controls."

Cipher Nine was most of the way there, having noticed them already and angled the team towards them. Akeldama seemed to have her head in the clouds—or, more aptly, lost in her earpiece.

"Anything else we should know?" she prompted.

"Not at the moment," Beniko replied.

"The op is going extremely well, thanks to you," Akeldama added. Pure flattery—if anything, the op was a bit of a mess by the Cipher's standards. It was nothing she couldn't handle, doubly so with a capable Sith Lord at her back, even if said Lord was...

"Thank you, my Lord," Beniko said. Akeldama's sigh was audible over the transmission.

Having reached the controls, the Cipher gave them a quick glance before getting to work. They were simple enough, barely protected. The Jedi must have thought their defenders would be protection enough. Foolish mistake.

"What sorts of things do you do when you're not planning successful missions?" Akeldama asked.

"Perhaps you should focus on the mission at hand, my Lord," Beniko replied carefully. The Cipher began to wonder if she was witnessing a secret affair, a failing courtship, or merely a Sith power play. It was difficult to tell, especially when all three could easily be wrapped up in one meeting.

"Fine," Akeldama said with another sigh. "Cipher, you got those controls yet?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Excellent. Then we can proceed on to the Temple, yes?" Akeldama asked Beniko.

"Yes," came the second reply.

"Great!" Akeldama said, literally jumping up. "Let's go!"

Not for the first time, the Cipher wondered just how old Akeldama was. Her enthusiasm and demeanor seemed to be at odds with her skill and experience. Cipher Nine was no great judge when it came to the Force, but she knew fighting, and she knew when people were holding back. Akeldama was holding back. For what reason, it wasn't entirely clear, but it was more than just holding back on killing blows. She had waited to pull out her second saber until it was entirely necessary, and once she had done so, she had abstained from pure Force attacks. It was as if she was setting challenges for herself.

As if attacking the Jedi Temple on the Jedi homeworld wasn't enough of a challenge for her.

Now _that_ was an interesting thought. It occupied her for the rest of their fight to the Temple, Kaliyo back in the lead. Cipher Nine hadn't had a puzzle worthy of her intellect since the dissolution of Imperial Intelligence. Akeldama was an intriguing bundle of clues: Her fighting style, her accent, her strange reluctance to kill… and then there was the matter of the other Cipher. Nine hadn't forgotten Akeldama's brief mention of living with a Cipher Agent. She would have to dig through the list of cipher agents at some point in the future, but she could neither confirm nor deny for most of the cipher agents she had personally worked with. She had only met Six once—Nine knew next to nothing about her. Seven, she had worked with on more than one occasion. She wouldn't rule him out, but he had been undercover for five years, until right before Intelligence was dismantled. Twelve… Twelve was a distinct possibility. The former Twelve, that was, because the cipher had defected to the Republic nearly a year ago. Nine didn't think that was terribly likely, but she wouldn't rule Twelve out.

By the time they reached the Temple, the other Imperial forces had finally caught up with them. It made the battles seem like mere child's play. Watching Lord Goh fight alongside Lord Akeldama only served to emphasize how untraditional her tactics were—Goh was the image of a perfectly trained Sith, executing each move with precision. Akeldama had her own sort of determination, the Kaliyo to Goh's Cipher Nine. They worked well together, although neither Sith seemed to acknowledge it. Akeldama, at least, was thoroughly preoccupied…

"Lana, do you have anything specific you want me to grab?" Akeldama asked as they reached the library. Nine was somewhat surprised to hear her use the given name of her fellow lord.

"Take any data you can," Beniko replied. "Anything pertaining to the Jedi in particular will be useful. History can be fascinating, but it is unlikely to give us a tactical advantage."

"Got it!" Akeldama replied cheerfully, and the Imperial forces all got to work looting the Temple.

Goh hadn't given the Jedi guarding the library a chance to speak—not that the Cipher was interested in what he had to say. But it was curious that Goh had struck so decisively. It was almost as if he wanted to keep the Jedi from speaking at all. First strikes were, of course, a sound strategy, but neither Akeldama nor the Cipher herself were positioned to strike so quickly. Learning the enemy's motives was often valuable, and one could determine quite a bit about the upcoming fight by watching them as they spoke. Yet. Yet, yet, yet. This mission was becoming all questions with no answers.

"Hey, agent!"

Cipher Nine headed towards Kaliyo, who clearly had a topic she didn't want to discuss across the room. "What is it?"

"Is it just me, or is there something fishy about this whole mission?" Kaliyo asked in hushed tones. "It's too convenient."

"I agree," Cipher Nine said. "I find it hard to believe that none of the Jedi Council was here purely by coincidence, and I know of no operatives who could have staged this on our end."

"Good, glad I'm not crazy," Kaliyo said with a nod. "This is fascinating and all, but I'm ready to get out of here before the other shoe drops."

"Oh, are we going?"

Akeldama approached the two, carrying a single holocron.

"The Imperial forces here can finish cataloging the finds here," the Cipher said. She nodded at the holocron. "Find everything you came for?"

Akeldama looked momentarily confused. "This?" She shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought I should have it."

Cipher Nine left it at that. Sith could be unpredictably touchy about these things. "I would be pleased to offer you transportation back to the fleet, my Lord," Nine said, forgoing the traditional bow. "Now that we hold the airspace, my ship can be here in minutes."

"Sounds good to me!" Akeldama said. "We can all see Lana together that way."

"Yes, I will be reporting to Darth Arkous once we arrive at the fleet," Nine said carefully. She wondered offhandedly how long it would be until Akeldama got herself in trouble. And if that trouble would have any effect on her at all. After witnessing her feats on the battlefield today, Cipher Nine would not willingly go directly against Akeldama in combat.

"Sure, sure," Akeldama said, flouncing out towards the exit.

Kaliyo exchanged a look with the Cipher.

"I kind of think I like her," Kaliyo said with some amazement. "Can we keep her?"

"She's a Sith Lord, not a pet," Cipher Nine said in exasperation.

"Ah, come on," Kaliyo said. "I bet she'd be happy to play dress up."

"No," the Cipher said, heading towards the exit herself. "I already have enough strays to take care of."


End file.
